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Latest KFF Health News Stories

In Health Care Arena, The Prize For Calif. Insurance Commissioner Is A Bullhorn

KFF Health News Original

The California Department of Insurance, headed by the commissioner, regulates only a small fraction of the market. But the job comes with a bully pulpit that amplifies its impact. Three of the four candidates would use it to push for a statewide single-payer system.

Health Care Looms Large In Race For California’s Top Cop

KFF Health News Original

Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has made a name for himself opposing Trump administration policies on health care and other matters, is running against opponents who say they wouldn’t make such resistance their primary focus.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Campaign Promises Kept, Plus ‘Nerd Reports’

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Kliff of Vox and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss a proposed administration regulation that seeks to separate Planned Parenthood from federal family planning funds, the final congressional passage of legislation aimed at helping those with terminal illnesses obtain experimental medications, and new government reports on the uninsured and federal health spending. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Liz Szabo about the May “Bill of the Month.”

‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates

KFF Health News Original

Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.

Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed

KFF Health News Original

Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.

When Is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care.

KFF Health News Original

Even under a decent plan, you’ll have to dig deep in your pocket for crowns, bridges and implants. The mouth isn’t covered by insurance the same way as the rest of the body, and this division has deep roots in history and tradition.

Trump Proposes Cutting Planned Parenthood Funds. What Does That Mean?

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration is pulling out an old regulation that it believes will be able to meet a key conservative goal: withholding some federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the government’s family planning program.